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Monday, 23 January 2012

Fantasy needs some innovation, especially since e-readers are becoming the new books. Readers want more out of their stories and since most teens/kids spend eight hours a day online, it is essential we captivate them. And fast.

If you have kids, take a moment, sit and enjoy one of their favorite cartoons, or watch your son/ daughter play a video game. Ask questions about what's taking place. Who are you fighting? Why are you fighting? What powers do they have? What's the story about? Not only is this a great way to bond, but the information you can garner from cartoons and video games is immense. Learning what works and what doesn't in these tropes can enhance or birth your own ideas. For instance, the hottest thing out right now for cartoons is Naruto and Ben 10.

Naruto Shippuden

Naruto is perhaps the most unique and thrilling ninja tale I have ever seen. Not to be a fan girl and swoon, but it basically comprises all the elements of great fantasy:

1) Unique Power

2) Rivalry

3) Huge Stakes

4) Unstoppable Villain

5) Friends 'til the end

Though nothing new, Naruto took these tired old bones and mended them with a little sugar, spice and everything nice. So, for those of you who write for kids/teens what are some of your favorite teen shows? What channels have you subscribed to on Youtube? Do you know who Shane Dawson is? Do you play Minecraft or Skyrim? Do you watch the CW? And more importantly, do you know what is a "Dougie"?

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

I wasn't going to post today but this thing is weighing heavily on my conscience.

I want to apologise to anyone I might have offended with yesterday's post. I meant no harm whatsoever and I am deeply sorry.

Yesterday I got an email from "nasty blogger" (who's blog I comment on almost daily) and it shocked me to my core. Now, I am used to trolls on Youtube and forums but I never imagined this person (an aspiring writer, no less) could be so devious:

sexist filth

Inbox

x

xxxxx xxxxxxx

xxxxxxxx@xxxx.com

6:37 PM (15 hours ago)

to me

I don't appreciate you calling women "skinny bitches' you dumb piece of shit! Itg might seem funny to you but women need to be respected. I am sick of fucking idiots like you with your sexist fucking jokes, which aren't even funny you cunt, deploring women as if we are garbage! FCUK YOU!

I am unfollowing your piece of shit blog and I will block you from commenting on my site because you are nothing more than a motherfuckiing illiterate cunt!

And you speak of rape as if its a joke? Thousands of women get rape all the time - it is a painful and scarring thing damages their life and you make a joke about it? Burn you sexist shit!

Click here to Reply or Forward

This hurts me not because of what is said, but due entirely to the fact that they think I am ignorant. If anything I write offends you, please just tell me. I will immediately redact or change it entirely. There is no need to flame me on such a personal level.

I removed the bit about sodomizing Wind Whistler. It was a spur of the moment thing and it was in bad taste, I am sorry.

When I first started here I used to blog for myself, but now that people actually read my stuff I have a responsibility to my readers. I never take that for granted and I will never purposely try to offend or deplore anyone. I won't cuss you out or defend my writing if you deem it offensive--just say the word and it will be fixed.

Nonetheless, I wish this person all the best and, again, my apologies for offending you so deeply.

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

This weekend was boring as hell, I got no work done, I went no where and I think I gained, like, five pounds eating those damn Milkyways I found under my couch. I was half tempted to kidnap Ray J, make a sex tape, leak it to Vivid Inc. and become a star like Kim Kardashian. Isn't that the way to become a star these days? Anywho, I had a lot of time to reflect on my tragic life and in doing so I decided to live vicariously through the skinny bitches that walked the red carpet of the Golden Globes. Okay, so they're not bitches (well, except for Elton John) but needless to say, I did like some of the ladies in their frocks and seeing Angelina and Brad together was great! The standout of the night, for me, was when Octavia Spencer won best actress in a supporting role for her portrayal of Minnie from The Help. If anyone deserved to win it was her and I am beyond delighted of her accomplishment. I hope she wins the Oscar too. I'll leap out of my chair if that happens!

Now on to the dresses! Some looked like silky drapes of sunshine, others resembled linen found on goddesses and then there were those that looked like homeless people threw shit at it. (Seriously Sarah Michelle Gellar?) But I'm not here to diss anyone's fashion sense, because I know nothing about fashion, or makeup or hair or--Ahem!--I know nothing!

Here are the stars I think looked the best:

Perfection!

I want her babies!

Sexy Layday!

She had best pray I never find her alone!

Royalty!

Beautiful!

Simple and Elegant

Cute!

I can't wait for the Oscars!

Now, you may already know this, but I like blue ponies. I don't care that some people think it's gay or weird, I like my frickin' Wind Whistler! There are some people who share my love for her and her buddies and then there are those who are too closed minded to comprehend their sheer pony AWESOMENESS!

And for those of you who think My Little Ponies aren't badass, just watch this video by ScrewAttack of Starscream vs Rainbow Dash. Oh boy, are you in for a rude awakening!

Thursday, 12 January 2012

...had a story you knew was brilliant--perfect characters, excellent plot, high concept, etc.--but still had something missing? You couldn't quite put a finger on it (or you knew but couldn't fix it), so you leave it be in the hope that someday that missing puzzle will plop into your head?

Well, last night, while I was watching TV, that very "link" swooshed into my mind. It was like having an empty bowl with nothing to pour into it and turning for only a second to discover a most glorious array of sweets and biscuits when you return. Have you ever had this happen to you? Isn't it fantastic!? Holy shit I feel like all my troubles have been solved--not only in the story, but with everything!

For all these years this missing piece was an egg. A frickin' egg! It's so simple I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before. Months on end I toiled in vain to solve the plot hole with regard to my MC's motivation. It was good but, for me, it just didn't feel right. Ya know? I mean, we're the gods of our worlds, and we know when something isn't working; we might try to glaze over it, but deep down we know...

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Ever heard of it? No? Then let me tell you about this amazing initiative.

BoomWriter is an innovative creative writing website for children. Based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts and with the help of professional and aspiring writers, BoomWriter has kids reading, writing and voting to create new stories. When completed, these stories can be converted into books and then purchased by the students and their families in either electronic or soft-cover form.

BoomWriter is made available for use in schools for free, and since the Spring of 2011 the site has expanded its presence and is now in close to 600 schools spread throughout 11 different countries! It is an effective and highly engaging teaching tool, and by the end of the upcoming school year BoomWriter will be in well over 1,000 schools spread throughout 20 different countries! Plus, BoomWriter is a tremendous vehicle for connecting students and their teachers with the authors of children's and young adult books.

You can help create a Marketplace of 500 to 1,000 word story first chapters (what they refer to as “story starts”) that can be used on the site as a starting point from which kids can write. Teachers and their students will be best served by having quality story starts written by creative and talented writers, such as you guys. BoomWriter is offering an initial payment of $100 for any original piece that is submitted to and approved for use on their site. Additionally, you will receive a royalty of $0.50 for every book that is purchased from their site using a story start that you originally submitted. Please keep in mind there are well over 100,000 public and private schools in the United States alone, so this may be a sizeable market for your work. You will also retain the right to use your story starts in your own non-competing works, so feel free to raid your work-in-progress folder for ideas.

BoomWriter also produces a monthly newsletter that is sent electronically to teachers and parents who are registered on the site. A segment of the newsletter is designated for promoting various writers represented in the Marketplace site as well as highlighting some of the story starts they have contributed.

If you’re interested in being part of this project, here’s what to do:

First - Write a story start of approximately 500 to 1,000 words and submit it to greg at boomwriter dot com along with wordcount, Marketplace genre (see above), a short author bio, and link to your website or blog if you have one. (Submitting to Greg is the correct way of doing things. If not, you may choose to sign up through the website)

Second – Revisions may be requested. If/once approved, you will be referred to the site to register officially as a guest author. This process will include your agreeing to the terms and conditions of the site.

Third – Upon approval of your piece and completion of Boomwriter’s Guest Author registration process, you will be compensated $100 for the piece and $0.50 for every individual book purchased from the site that uses your piece as the story start.

Monday, 9 January 2012

This year I'm starting a brand new project and I'm super excited! It's a YA Urban Fantasy/ Romance set in New York. To prepare for this grand undertaking I've been reading a lot of YA across all genres--some I liked and some I hated. But no matter my preference, I couldn't help but admire the covers. I'll go so far and say that some of them are even better than movie posters! Yes, they're that great! So, to celebrate my new-found love of YA covers, I've compiled a visual feast of some of my favorites. Enjoy.

Thursday, 5 January 2012

Today I wanted to do something fun after yesterday's touching post about the amazing Ben Breedlove. Sometimes, it's healthy to escape Serious for a bit and just let it all hang out.

This first batch is a bunch of SMS fails from damnyouautocorrect where real people post their texting fails. As someone with an IPhone, I can attest to its sex: it is a man! The stuff it changes my words into are downright pornographic. One time, I actually had to send it to Sex Addicts Anonymous because I swear it got my thumb pregnant.

Don't believe me? Then take a look:

.

I personally love the one about the masturbating cherries! That made me laugh for an hour straight, I kid you not.

Now this last bit is more amusing than laugh-out-loud goodness. It's a rather weird widget I picked up on Widgetbox and its name is Barky. I spent twenty minutes chatting with this thing and, I must admit, it's pretty cool.

I dare you to ask him something nasty. The reply will surprise you!

Get the &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/talktobarky"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Talk to Barky&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; widget and many other &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;great free widgets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; at &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.widgetbox.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Widgetbox&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;! Not seeing a widget? (&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://support.widgetbox.com/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;More info&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;)

Wednesday, 4 January 2012

I knew exactly what my first post for 2012 was going to be. But I had no idea what I was going to write.

Until I saw Ben Breedlove's story...

Ben was born with a rare heart condition called HCM (Hypertrophic cardio-myapathy) on August 8th 1993. All his life he struggled with this rare and dangerous disease, and all his life he wanted to be normal: to play basketball with his friends...go hiking in the hills...or swim in the deep blue sea. But so special was he, that despite his shortcomings...he lived.

Ben didn't let his condition stop him from enjoying each and every thing life had to offer. He didn't look at the glass half full; he didn't limit his imagination to earthly things, nor did he stop for a second and ask "Why me?" No. Ben Breedlove lived.

I guess now you feel like shit, right? Ya, I did too.

For all those times I complained about the fucking traffic slowing me down, Ben was taking a walk, soaking up the sun.

For all those times I chit and chatted with the stupid sales rep on the phone, Ben was laughing with his friends.

For all those times I moaned about crap when I really didn't have to, Ben Breedlove was fighting for his life.

Yes. I forgot...

I forgot how blessed I am to be healthy.

This amazing, incredible, fantastic man made me realize how the things we take for granted are the most precious of them all.